The Penrith Panthers will be sweating on the availability of five-eighth Jarome Luai after the star playmaker suffered a dislocated shoulder in Penrith’s 32-18 loss to the Parramatta Eels.
Luai sustained the injury mid-way through the first half and SEN’s Greg Alexander said the Panthers medical team popped his shoulder back into place in the change rooms.
Luai is set for scans on Friday and The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio said that Luai’s availability for finals is all dependent on the extent of his injury.
“It will all be about whether there is any ligament damage,” Riccio said on SEN 1170 Breakfast of Luai’s injury.
“It’s around the shoulder joint and that will determine how long Jarome is out for.
“Back in 2021, we saw Nathan Cleary miss five weeks due to a shoulder injury from a dislocation.
“He came back and came back with a significant brace to complete the season.
“That could be a possibility for Luai but it could also be season ending. If there is enough damage done to the shoulder, it’s season ending surgery stuff.
“The benefit of having Jack Cogger (is immense). He’s not the quality of Jarome but this is why clubs rely so heavily on their depth.
“What an opportunity for Cogger.”
Cogger has played nine games in 2023 after Cleary’s severe hamstring tear against the Dragons in Round 14.
The big fallout from Penrith’s loss is that the minor premiership race has opened up for the Brisbane Broncos.
“An opportunity has opened up now and just how significant is this Broncos v Raiders clash on Saturday night now,” Riccio added.
“We spoke about the Broncos being without Adam Reynolds and I’m a little bit nervous.
“Suddenly, the motivation factor has gone up on the back of the Penrith loss.
“They can go down to Canberra and get the job done.
“If Brisbane are the team we think they are, it’s got to be a Brisbane win,” SEN’s Greg Alexander added on SEN 1170 Breakfast.